The uncertainty over the future of KK, as the site is known, reflects Japan’s complicated relationship with nuclear power.
After more than a decade of inactivity, Japan’s biggest nuclear power plant is ready to restart — but it faces an indefinite wait.
The Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant on the country’s western coast essentially has all but one of the necessary approvals to start producing power. Regulators and international nuclear officials are a go, but without a green light from the local governor, the Tokyo Electric Power-owned plant is stuck in limbo.
